Egypt Independent

Ramses II statue to be transferred to Grand Egyptian Museum entrance

The statue of Ramses II, currently placed in the Grand Egyptian Museum, will be transferred in a few days to the museum’s entrance hall to be the first monument that visitors will see.

The statue, which was discovered in 1820 in Badrashin, Giza governorate, was first placed in Ramses Square before being transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2006.

According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the Arab Contractors Company has been assigned to transfer the statue to its new location in the Grand Egyptian Museum’s entrance hall. The company has separated the statue from its concrete base, and examined it to make sure it is in a good condition before being transfered.

The Ramses II statue will be transferred in a few days, and will be thus the first statue displayed in the museum ahead of its partial inauguration, scheduled in 2018, the Grand Egyptian Museum’s General Supervisor Tarek Sayyed Tawfik said.

Tawfik said that the transfer will be in a majestic procession worthy of one of Egypt’s most important kings.

After concluding the necessary studies to determine the optimal route for the transfer of the statue, the Arab Contractors Company will move it using special cranes and a conveyor system. Tawfik mentioned that local and foreign media will be invited to the event.

Ramses II statue is the first artifact to be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum out of over 150,000 artifacts planned to be displayed.

Tawfik told Al-Masry Al-Youm that about 80 percent of the museum has been constructed, pointing out that workers are exerting maximum efforts to conclude the construction as soon as possible.

The museum will contain rare monuments, including treasures of Pharaonic King Tutankhamun, which will be displayed for the first time, he added.